Device to prevent theft from cars.



R. R. BROWN.

DEVICE TO PREVENT THEFT FROM CARS.

APPLICATION FILED IUNE7. I9I5.

Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

Attorneys pin DEVICE TO PREVENT TI IEFT 'FROM- CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

Application filed June 7, 1915. Serial No. 32,556.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD R. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lebanon, in the county of Laclede and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices to Prevent Theft from Cars, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in means for use in connection with open or gondola freight cars, by means of which freight within the car is protected from theft, one object of the invention being the provision of hingedly mounted doors so arranged as to be readily held out of place when not in use so as not to project beyond thelimits usually provided for in railroad traffic and which when in use forms a closure for the top of the car'to be locked by the usual seal and thus prevent the removal of material from a car without breaking the seal.

With the foregoing and other objects in view and which will be evident as the description proceeds, the present invention resides in the features hereinafter set forth and particularly claimed.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a cross sectional view through a freight car showing the present invention in use thereon, the dotted lines illustrating the po sition thereof, when the car is empty. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through one of the hinges. Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4. is a perspective view of one member of the hinge. Fig. 5 is a similar view of another member. Fig.- 6 illustrates a method of attaching the doors or plates to swing outwardly.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the freight car of open top or gondola. construction and to which is secured the fixed hinged elements 2 for properly supporting the plates or doors 3, there being any number according to the arrangement of the car, and where made of sufficiently light material there will be two doors to a car.

The inner edges of the doors are each provided with the cooperating apertures lugs 4: for the reception of the car seal 5 so that when the car is loaded the doors may assume the position as shown in Fig. 1 and sealed to prevent tampering.

When not in use the doors 3 will assume the dotted line position upon the interior of the car and be held downward by a catch 14. Where connected as shown in Fig. 6 they may be swung without the car.

The hinge for connecting the doors in place consists of the two members 6 and7. The former is connected to the door, and is provided with the longitudinally slotted portions 8 and 8, the member 7 being insertible within the malleable portion 8, so that the reduced projection 9 will fit rotatably within the portion 8 of the member 6. The member 7 is longitudinally slotted to cooperate with the slots of the member 6, so that the hinging rod 10 may be received within said slots when the open side of the slots are alined. When the rod 10 is in place the member 7 is rotated to bring the apertured lug 12 in alinement with the apertured lug 11 of the member 6, a seal lock 13 being then positioned through the two lugs, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. By this means the member 7 is held from rotation and the slots of the two members 6 and 7 are out of alinement.

What I claim as new is 1. The combination with an open or gondola freight car, of a plurality of plates, a plurality of hinging elements carried by the plates and car for attaching the plates to the car, each hinging element including a rod and two cylindrical members longitudinally slotted to receive the rod, one of such members being rotatable to place the slots out of alinement when engaging the rod, and a lock receiving lug carried by each rotatable member to lock the members relative to each other.

2. The combination with an open or gondola car, of a plurality of doors and .a plurality of hinging elements for connecting the doors to the car, each hinging element including a fixedly supported cylindrical rod, 2. door carried member having two separated portions, one of which is tubular and open at its side, and the other of which is slotted and open through the same side, such openings being provided to receive the rod, a slotted tubular locking member rotatably mounted in the tWo portions ofthe door carand rotatable members aline to permit the rie'd member, an apertured lug carried by insertion or removal of the rod and whereby the door carried member, a second apertured When the lugs aline the rod is locked Within 10 111g carried bythe rotatable member, and a the members. 5 seal lock for connecting both 'lugs vtogether, In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

' whereby when the lugs are out alinement the open sides of the slots of the door carried i I RICHARD R. BROWN.

fiopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by'addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

7 Washington, I). G. 

